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JDC Pro Bono Legal Services Programs
2013-2014 HAP Manual Updates JDC Pro Bono Legal Services Programs - P Business Law Project (Community Organization Representation Project) 301 Battery St., 3rd Fl., 94111415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. CORP assists nonprofit community-based organizations throughout Northern California in a range of transactional business law matters. New organizations that are in the process of incorporation and applying for 501©(3) tax-exempt status also get assistance. Consumer Project 301 Battery St., 3rd Fl., 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Advises low-income clients at JDC’s Consumer Debt Defense and Education Clinic (CDDEC). Through our CLE training, volunteer attorneys assist clients who have been sued by creditors. The CDDEC takes place twice a month, on Thursday evenings from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. At the clinic, volunteer attorneys individually counsel clients and possibly draft in pro per litigation documents. Other services may include negotiating on behalf of clients and representing them at hearings or even trial. Eviction Defense Project 301 Battery St., 3rd Fl., 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Provides representation to clients during their eviction proceedings. Telephone intake only. Through the Housing Negotiation Project (HNP), volunteer attorneys represent low-income individuals and families being evicted during their mandatory settlement conferences. Representation is limited to settlement conferences only. Through this unique project, every individual in need of an attorney receives representation. Family Law Project 301 Battery St., 3rd Fl., 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Assists low-income individuals and families with family law matters including marital dissolutions, child custody, and child support. The project also assists with related issues such as domestic violence restraining orders, guardianships, conservatorships, wills, and powers of attorney. While the emphasis is on full-scope representation, in which the volunteer takes the case from start to finish, we also have limited scope opportunities to assist clients with specific hearings. Family Law Assisted Self-Help Project (FLASH) 301 Battery St., 3rd Fl., 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Provides assistance, education and information to low-income individuals who represent themselves (in pro per) in Family Court. The supervising attorney is responsible for the continuous development and management of this program aimed at helping litigants with family law matters, including dissolution (divorce), child support, child custody and visitation, spousal support, drafting legal documents and answering questions about the availability of additional community resources. The supervising attorney position is primarily based at the San Francisco Unified Family Court. Family Law: Guardianships 301 Battery St., 3rd Fl., 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Receives referrals for uncontested guardianships from the Superior Court’s ACCESS center, which assists unrepresented litigants. JDC assists low-income clients obtain a guardianship of the person (we do not help with guardianships of the estate). Through this project, we assign cases to volunteer attorneys and provide a mentor if necessary. Cases generally require meeting with the client and then filling out the necessary forms and filing with the court. After filing, there will be a hearing in the probate court and then the letters of guardianship are issued. Federal Pro Bono Project 301 Battery St., 3rd Fl., 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Provides assistance to litigants in federal court who do not have legal representation. The supervising attorney of the Project provides information and advice to pro se litigants at our Legal Help Center and arranges pro bono legal representation for litigants that the Court refers to the Project for appointment of counsel. To be referred for placement with a pro bono attorney, a litigant must be in pro per, lack the resources to retain counsel, and have a case that warrants pro bono legal representation. Many of the cases placed by the Federal Pro Bono Project involve federal civil rights violations, such as police battery and wrongful arrest under Section 1983, and employment discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Appointments may be for full-scope representation for the duration of a case or for limited purposes, e.g., up through and including a settlement conference or hearing on a motion to dismiss. Once a judge has issued an order to appoint pro bono counsel, our supervising attorney contacts members of our Federal Pro Bono Panel to find out whether they are interested in taking the appointment. Legal Advice and Referral Clinic (LARC) 301 Battery St., 3rd Fl., 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. A walk-in clinic that occurs on the second Saturday of each month at our Downtown San Francisco location (UC Hastings), and on the last Saturday of each month at our Bayview location in San Francisco. At these Clinics, low-income clients are able to receive legal advice and/or referrals from experienced attorneys in various areas of the law. LARC is staffed in part by volunteers who primarily conduct client intakes to determine in what area(s) of law people want advice. The clients are then able to sit with our experienced volunteer attorneys and receive advice and/or referrals based on their issue. Medical-Legal Project 301 Battery St, 3rd Floor 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Southeast Health Center (SEHC) 2401 Keith Street San Francisco, CA 94124 (415) 671-7000 Brings legal services to San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point. The area is populated by some of the city’s most vulnerable - predominately low-income people living in an underserved and geographically isolated area. By partnering with the Southeast Health Center (SEHC), VLSP staff and volunteers provide patients with the legal services needed to ameliorate issues that adversely impact patients’ health, safety and overall well being. SEHC’s staff of doctors, nurses, social workers and counselors actively participate in the project which sees a diversity of legal issues including housing rights, eviction defense, public benefits advocacy (SSI, Medi-Cal, and Medicare), consumer and probate matters. VLSP’s Supervising Attorney conducts weekly on-site legal intakes at SEHC. Tax Project (Low Income Taxpayer Clinic) 301 Battery St, 3rd Floor 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Assists low-income taxpayers who have tax issues with the IRS, including taxpayers in controversy with the IRS, individuals who have filed a petition with the U.S. Tax Court and individuals who need help in obtaining other relief for a tax obligation. LITC also provides assistance to unrepresented litigants who need assistance on the day of the U.S. Tax Court docket call. Tort Defense Project 301 Battery St, 3rd Floor 94111 415-989-1616 415-477-2389 (Fax) M–F, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. Provides full-scope representation to clients defending themselves against a tort claim. Category:Legal Category:Needs Clean Up